Ages of Conflict: Book 4 Bonding
by Corianin
Summary: New people, new situations, a party or two...oh, yeah, and the impending end of the world. Bella and the Cullens have their work cut out for them, in more ways than one.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Well, well, well - things look to be going...somewhere, anyway. Wonder what the next few weeks hold for our favorite family?

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She tried to sit still at lunch, she really did. But between Edward's smug grin, Alice's wide-eyed smile, and that oh-so-naughty look in Jasper's eyes...well, Bella was finding it hard to concentrate on much of anything. They'd not only missed third period, but fourth as well, and had drug their clean clothes on and wandered back out of the forest just in time to hear the bell ring for lunch. Alice, as usual, had come up with a perfectly plausible explanation as to why they all had needed to leave for two hours...though Bella really couldn't remember what that reason was. She absently crunched down on the apple in her hand. And choked on the bite of fruit as Mike walked in, one arm thrown posessively over Jess' shoulders.

"It's not right that she should be too scared of him to break it off," Alice muttered under her breath.. The four of them watched as the couple grabbed their trays, Mike loading things on Jessica's tray without even appearing to ask her first, and took a seat at the far side of the room. When Mike turned around for a moment, Jess shot Bella a frightened look.

"That's it," she whispered. "I can't handle it. I'm going to go invite her over here with us. She's terrified."

"Bella, if you go over there you'll just make it worse. Remember - we want her to get a checkup, and we want to find out what's wrong with Mike. You won't solve anything if you go charging over like some avenging angel."

"I know that, Edward, but I have to do something!" She slumped down in her chair. "I feel so damned helpless." He scooted his chair closer and wrapped his arms around her, and she snuggled against him, taking what small comfort she could in his closeness.

"We are doing something. We're helping Jess in the way that will cause the fewest problems all around. And we can't hold our end of that bargain if we jump ahead of ourselves." She looked up into his golden eyes, filled with so much compassion, and sighed in remorse.

"Bella - ask Angela and Eric over to sit with us." Alice's tone was calm, yet brooked no disobedience, and Bella wondered just what her friend had seen even as she was standing and heading over to the pair where they sat near the door.

"Hey, you two - why don't you come join us? Plenty of room at the big table." Eric looked surprised, but Angela practically lit up like a Christmas tree. Bouncing to her feet, she grabbed her lunch tray and her backpack.

"Awesome! Hey - where were you fourth period?" she asked curiously as they waited for Eric to gather his stuff together. Bella blushed and cursed her own reaction, very glad that it was only Angie that saw it.

"We had a...well, there was a family emergency. I'll let Alice explain it all." Fortunately for Bella they'd begun walking over to the table and her perfect vampires had overheard her sentence. Alice immediately launched into an animated diatribe that Bella found almost impossible to hear over the rushing in her ears and the sly look Angela shot her as she sat down.

"Hey Eric," Edward said lightly, startling both Bella and the boy in question. After a second, Eric nodded in response.

"So, I will admit," said Alice once the two had made themselves comfortable. Well, once Angela had gotten comfortable and Eric had lost his deer-in-the-headlights look, that is. "...that I had an ulterior motive in suggesting we invite you over to sit with us." The mortal couple looked at each other, then back at the dark-haired pixie where she sat on the other side of the table. Bella leaned against Edward's side, wondering what on earth her friend was doing. After a moment of what appeared to be nervous hesitation, Alice continued.

"See, I wanted to have kind of a back-to-school get together at our house, but we...well we're rather antisocial for the most part. I know in my case I'd just gotten so used to moving from foster home to foster home that I gave up on making friends because I hated to lose them." She spoke with what Bella had to admit was convincing honesty, and the brunette had to wonder what she was playing at. "I think the rest of us have fallen into that mold as well. When Carlisle and Esme came along, it was...I felt like I'd been drawn into a fairy tale. Loving parents, stable home...I'd never known that. I don't think any of us had." In a flash, Bella realized just how skillfully Alice was weaving the conversation, and a sudden burst of insight had her knowing exactly where the story was going and the purpose it served. She decided it wasn't time to speak yet so she just listened, watching as Alice wound her words around Angela and Eric.

"Sorry - I have a tendency to ramble sometimes. Anyway, I figured - well, Eric, you are the eyes and ears of the school - everyone knows that." Score one for Alice, thought Bella as the boy's face lit up with pride and curiosity. "So I was wondering...who do you think would show up if we invited them? I don't think I really want a HUGE blowout - especially since we've never had one before. Carlisle sort of limited the guest list to twenty people or so, but I thought, if there's anyone in Forks High that would have a grasp of the school populous, well, Bella said it would be you, and from what I've seen I have to agree." She smiled disarmingly, and Bella nearly laughed out loud. ~I guess Carlisle isn't the only one that's not above dazzling mortals when he gets a chance,~ she thought, totally entertained now. Risking a glance up at Edward she saw that, though his expression was carefully composed into a friendly wariness, his eyes were dancing with suppressed laughter.

"Well," Eric began slowly, looking both flattered and nervous, "just about anyone in school would jump at the chance to see your home."

"Really? Why?" Alice's innocent question sounded perfectly normal, and Bella saw Eric warming up to the subject.

"Well, you have to admit, you guys have been the big enigma of the school since you moved here. Always sticking together, never really socializing. And with the cars you drive and the clothes you wear, and the fact that your dad is touted as one of the best surgeons in the state, you're like..." he trailed off, realizing what he'd been about to say and how it would have sounded.

"We're like what?" Alice leaned forward, her face showing no condemnation or hurt, just a curiosity that Bella somehow knew wasn't entirely false. Eric cleared his throat, looked at Angela who simply shrugged, and cleared it again.

"You're like...well, the eccentric rich people. Everyone's insanely curious, but since you've always held yourselves so aloof and apart, well...you kind of come off as...don't be mad, please?" Alice just nodded, inviting him to continue. "Well, snobs. It's always seemed like you guys didn't thin anyone was good enough for you to socialize with, so that's got a lot of resentment as well as curiosity." He looked like he wanted to swallow his tongue and melt into the floor tiles, and Bella couldn't blame him. Talking to the Cullens was a huge step for anyone, she realized, and to so blatantly inform them that they acted like stuck-up snots, no matter how carefully it was phrased or how many apologies were tacked on...Bella reached over and placed her hand on top of his. He looked up at her in shock, and she grinned.

"Thank you, Eric. I've been telling them that for months, but would they listen?" His eyes wide, he glanced from her to Alice and back again, looking for all the world like he'd been given a death row pardon.

"You have?" She nodded. He sat up a bit straighter in his chair, looking a bit more confident now. Turning to Alice, he started talking again, losing his hesitancy as he spoke and becoming once more the garrulous social butterfly Bella knew.

"So, you see, even though you guys are really cool and all, no one knows that except Bella here. So anyone you would invite would jump at the chance to see what you act like outside of school. Once they got over the coronary caused by the fact that the infamous Cullen clan have opened their home to people, that is." Alice nodded, this time more eagerly.

"Awesome! Well, I know we want you and Angela to come, definitely." He swelled a bit with happiness at that statement, and Bella realized that he saw this as a huge honor - not just to be invited, but to be the first ones asked. "Bella also suggested that we invite Mike and Jessica, but I don't know if they'd be willing to show up. I mean, I'm fairly sure Jessica would, she's such a nice girl, but Mike..."Alice trailed off and looked up at Jasper, who as usual had been letting his wife carry the entire conversation on her own. He blinked, momentarily startled, but his soft drawl covered it well.

"Mike's been going out of his way to be vicious to Bella, it seems. I'm in PE with her, and I see the way he acts. Alice wants to invite him along because it would be rude otherwise, but Edward and I neither one are sure that it's the best idea." Edward, who had draped an arm over Bella's shoulders and pulled her closer to him, nodded his agreement, stepping into the conversation with ease.

"This is something we've never done, you see, and I'd rather keep drama to a minimum. And I'm not sure I could just stand by and watch if Newton got it into his head to be mean or abusive to Bella - or anyone else, for that matter." There was a dark note in his voice, and Angela let out a loud sigh.

"So you guys have noticed too." Edward just nodded, the simple gesture seeming to give the girl strength to continue. "I've been watching them all summer. It started off fine, but now...it seems Jess is scared of him. Too scared. I tried to talk to her the other day in Lit and she just kind of...I don't know, curled in on herself, if that makes sense." This time it was Jasper that spoke, deftly easing the conversation around.

"We have noticed something unusual between those two. Jessica came to eat lunch with us yesterday. I got the impression she wanted to get away from Newton, but didn't know how. And there's the dilemma. If we invite her but not him, how would we make sure that he didn't show up to start trouble? I'm not worried that it would be anything we couldn't handle, but Esme doesn't take too kindly to fighting in her house, and if he started anything I don't know that any of us would stay quiet and calm. We protect our own, you see, and anyone who is in our home is considered in that group." Thoughtful silence cloaked the group, broken only by the occasional crunch as Bella finished off her apple.

"What day were you planning to do this party?" Angela asked.

"Well, this weekend we've got company coming in to visit, an old friend of Carlisle and Esme's, so I was thinking next weekend, maybe Saturday night so no one would have to worry about school the next day." Alice spun the idea with such certainty that Bella knew she'd already seen how it would play out. The undercurrent of steel in her friend's voice, only noticeable because Bella was so familiar with the pixie's moods, informed her that something was going to happen.

"So then, why don't I invite Jessica to a sleepover that weekend? Mike won't say a word about her coming to my house, and then we can both go to the party and he'll never have to come near an invitation."

"It could work," said Bella hopefully. "I really think it could."

"Then it's settled!" said Alice, her bubbly self once more. She turned back to Eric who had finished his lunch and was just sitting there listening. "So...could I ask you a favor?" He blinked, flushing a little at the brilliant smile she aimed at him.

"Uh...sure. What's up?"

"Well, I thought I'd ask you to take care of the guest list - that is, if you don't mind. You just know so much more about the other people here than we do, and I know I can trust your judgment." Eric was all but flushed now, and Angela took a moment to grin at Bella behind her boyfriend's back. Bella just smiled in return.

"Sure, I can do that," the boy said - Bella gave him credit. His voice was calmer than his expression. "So you said Dr. Cullen limited it to twenty people?" Alice nodded. "Well, I'm sure that won't be a problem."

"Great!" Alice bounced from her chair and gave him a hug, startling Eric. She turned to hug Angela as well. "This is gonna be awesome! Thank you so much!" she said happily. Just then the bell rang, and all around them students began to pick up their trays and leave the cafeteria. Bella glanced over at the table Jess and Mike had been at, but it was empty. She was a little bothered that she hadn't noticed them leave.

"I'll write up a list and get it to you after school?" Eric asked, and Alice nodded.

"Sounds great! We'll see you then!" And, grasping Jasper's hand in her own, Alice led the way out of the cafeteria. Angela and Eric said their goodbyes and left through the side door, and Bella leaned into Edward's embrace.

"I know I shouldn't bet against Alice, but I certainly hope she knows what she's doing," she sighed. He hugged her close for a moment before scooping up both of their backpacks.

"It will all work out," was his only response as they walked out of the cafeteria and along the halls towards their next class.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I promise, I'm still working on this! It's been ages, I know, and I am so so sorry, you have no idea. Life just gets in the way sometimes, y'know? Anyway, I've got about ten minutes to get dressed and ready and be at work, so I'm keeping this note short and getting this posted. A bit of a filler chapter, but it serves a purpose, I promise. :-D

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Chemistry was a bore, mainly because Bella couldn't keep her mind on the subject at hand. After about the fourth time Edward caught her staing off into space he touched her hand gently before sliding a note to her.

_Relax, love. Things will work out._

She just chuckled and shook her head, scrawling out her reply.

**That was the most generically conciliatory thing you could have written. :)**

She saw him smirk, those wonderful lips quirking upwards in an amused half smile. For a few seconds, a few shining minutes of peacefulness, she could imagine what it would be to be with him in his time, in the time of his youth. The sensation of being ensconsed in a past she never knew was so strong for a moment that she found herself staring at her Uniball gel pen and wondering what on earth it was. The sensation passed quickly, though not before he noticed the look that passed through her eyes. He chose not to mention it, however, instead passing the paper back to her.

_Generic, possibly, but true. Things will work out._

**How can you be so sure? Everything's so...off...right now. **She felt all her uncertainty pouring out onto the paper. **I need to talk to Jess. And I'm worried about...everything, I guess. **

_Well, Caralla will be here next week and hopefully she'll be able to help us work out whether your dreams are anything to be concerned with. Plus, you're going with Alice this weekend, remember? Even if she drags you shopping for two days straight at least you can have something else to focus on._

Bella nearly choked, immensely grateful that he couldn't read her mind. However, there was one who could, and she needed answers quick if this was to work out. She pretended to be deep in contemplative thought while she talked to him. ~Carlisle, where did Alice say we were going? I get the feeling Edward's going to be asking.~

~If I remember, she said she was taking you to a concert in Oregon, but it's supposed to be a surprise so she's told you she's taking you shopping for new school stuff and some things for Jessica.~

~So nice of people to let me know,~ she thought wryly, feeling him chuckle as she turned her attention back to the note she was writing. A part of her regretted the need for subterfuge, but even if she weren't planning to surprise Edward, she couldn't imagine actually telling him exactly what she would be getting up to while he was hunting. Banishing the thoughts as best she could before her telltale blushes gave her away, she scribbled on the paper.

**True, and at least it's not only me she's going to be concentrating on. We're getting some things for Jess as well. Not sure what yet, but Alice seems to be planning to take her under her wing as well.** She passed the paper back to him and saw him chuckle under his breath before responding.

_She's got strong wings. Opinionated and frustrating, but strong nonetheless. We won't let anything else happen to Jessica if we can help it._ Somehow, he always managed to make her feel better, and it was with a slightly lighter heart that she gathered her books and papers, including the note, and tucked them into her backpack just as the bell rang. Ever the gentleman, Edward picked up her bag as well and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder, walking with her out of the classroom in silence. She didn't think she wanted to speak at the moment - there was too much in her mind. It was without conversation that they met up with Jasper, and as Edward handed her bag back he impulsively drew her close and kissed her gently. She sighed and melted into his arms, letting her mind forget that aything existed beyond his embrace, an embrace that was unfortunately over all too soon.

"I'll see you after PE, Bella love," he whispered. She missed the look that passed between Edward and Jasper, but she couldn't miss the gentle soothing feelings that began to drift through her. Slightly calmer, she smiled up at him.

"I love you, you know," she whispered. His eyes lit up from within and she could have cried at his beauty.

"I love you too, Bella. Now, get to class. I'll be waiting for you after school." She watched him walk off and disappear into the crowds before turning to find Jasper looking at her with barely-concealed worry on his features.

"You okay, darlin'?" he whispered, keeping his voice low enough that no passing people would hear. She was about to nod, then thought better of it, responding quietly.

"I've got...a lot to worry about. And I can't get over the feeling that something worse is coming, and I don't know what to do about it." They had begun to walk to PE, but he paused and looked around quickly. After ascertaining that no one was watching, he took her by the arm and steered her into a quiet, unused classroom, shutting the door behind them.

"Bella, I know you're going through a lot. Believe me, darlin', I can feel it." His voice, though quiet, took on a hint of steel that for some reason instead of intimidating made her feel safe. "But if we're going to be able to help your friend and assist you in discovering what your dreams mean, then you need to be strong. The ball is already rolling, love. We've got to make sure it makes its way through the maze, and it's going to take all of us. And that means you as well." She rolled her eyes before looking down at the top of the desk, idly tracing the scratches in the surface.

"Yeah, I'm sure an ordinary mortal is going to be a lot of help to a whole family of immortal perfection." Before she even fiished her sentence his fingers were under her chin, lifting it to force her to meet his eyes. She was shocked at the depth of strength emanating from them, forgetting for a moment to breathe.

"Isabella Swan, I never want to hear you doubt yourself again. We are all what we make of ourselves from the circumstances we find ourselves in. You have more power than you know, simply because you are mortal. And it is the worst kind of sin for someone like you to belittle who they are."

"Someone like me?" she murmured, taken aback by his intensity.

"Yes. You are unique, Bella. How many others would accept us for what we are? Most would want to exploit us, or destroy us. But you have taken it in stride, and in ways none of us could have ever imagined." She knew he could see the doubt in her eyes when his voice dropped, sounding simultaneously severe and comforting. "Imagine what the people in this town would do to us if they knew what we truly are. Imagine how vicious they could be. Now, if a town this size could turn so quickly, envision what the rest of the world would do." In a movement so quick she couldn't track it, he was perched on the desk beside her, his balance and speed obviously anything but human. She didn't even blink, being used to their theatrics at this point, and he broke into a wide grin. "And you say you're not special."

"You had to have been an amazing leader in the war," Bella mused. His eyes went wide and she paused. "I mean," she said, flustered that once more her mouth ran ahead of her brain, "you're so commanding, yet you're understanding. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything." She was blushing by this point, and he threw back his head and laughed. The full-throated sound made her feel warm inside, and she felt the last of the ice on her soul begin to crack a little.

"Bella, Bella...life with you will never be boring, will it?" He hopped down from the desk and held out his hand to her, his manners very obviously from a time long gone, though his wicked grin was all from the here-and-now, and she chuckled along with him as she took his hand.

"I could wish it were a little more boring, honestly," she muttered, and he ruffled her hair.

"Never. You're a precocious danger magnet...and we wouldn't have it any other way. Now let's get to PE before we are any more late than we've already let ourselves become." Pushing the remaining worry and strain into the depths of her mind, she allowed him to open the door for her, walking down the hall beside him to the last class of the day.


	3. Chapter 3

As the class wound down she caught Jasper's eye, and he casually walked over to her as they were helping to put away the equipment.

"I won't have time to catch Jess outside of her class, but I want to get to her before Mike does." He nodded his understanding and walked immediately to the boy's locker room. She knew he'd be able to finish cleaning up and get to Jessica's classroom before Mike could ever hope to, so she let herself relax a little bit.

"Thank you for your help, Bella. I must say you're doing better this year."

"Thanks, Mr Smitty," she replied absently, looking up to find her teacher smiling kindly at her.

"So what did you do with your summer? Dance classes?" Bella just laughed and shook her head, spinning a tale with enough truth to be believable.

"Edward and his family kept me busy practicing things - swimming, hiking, baseball...I think Edward said something about how he'd feel better if I wasn't as liable to kill myself tripping over invisible cracks in the floor."

"Well, it's worked. In fact, I'd say you've remembered more from last years' PE classes than most of your classmates." He paused, seemingly unsure of whether or not to continue, and when he glanced around she realized that the rest of the students had already left. It dawned on her then that he'd kept her talking for a reason.

"Was there something you wanted, sir?" He looked shocked, but took a deep breath.

"I just wanted to let you know that if Newton gives you any problems and you don't feel comfortable talking to the principal, you can come to me. The boy's gotten to be rather...fractious...over the summer, and it hasn't escaped my notice that he seems to have something against you this year. I'm not going to pry, but I just wanted to let you know that the situation hasn't gone unnoticed." She blinked, a little stunned.

"Thank you, sir. He hasn't been too bad, but I'm not sure what's wrong. I plan to find out, though." She turned and headed towards the locker room, mulling everything over in her mind. Smitty hadn't ever singled her out before, except to try and minimize the damage to the gym and the other students, so to have him not only notice her improvements but also to notice Mike's behavior was a little unsettling. She thought she should feel comforted, but somehow she only felt wary.

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When she got outside, she found Jess standing against Edward's car looking terrified, while Edward, Jasper, and Alice stood between her and a very irate Mike. Bella darted over.

"What the hell? Back off, Mike!" He whirled on her, eyes wide.

"Shut the fuck up! She's MY girlfriend!" He turned back to Jess and made to dart between the Cullens, which all things considered would have been amusing if Bella hadn't been so angry.

"Funny, Newton, she doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with you," came Alice, her quiet snarl nonetheless filled with more menace than Bella had ever seen the pixie exhibit around other humans.

"Seriously, Mike, you should probably leave, cool down a bit," Bella said evenly, trying to calm things down before anything worse happened. Already there were crowds gathering at the edges of her periphery. He ignored her, instead shifting back and forth as though seeking a way between the Cullens to get at the blonde who was cowering against the side of the silver car.

"Let's go, Jess, I'm not waiting for you all day," he snarled. Jessica just plastered herself closer to the Volvo, setting herself more firmly behind the phalanx of siblings standing sentry before her.

"Mike...I'm not going with you. Please. We'll talk later, okay?" Her voice was small, broken, and it hurt Bella to see her vivacious friend so demoralized, to see the tears streaming down her frightened face.

"You're coming with me. You belong to me, Jessica. YOU came to ME, remember?" Gone was any trace of anything familiar in his voice, yet - acting on some unknown urge - Bella stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Mike, I-" she was cut off as he swung around and caught her shoulder with the full force of his punch, spinning her around crookedly. And she snapped, some long-forgotten instinct coming to the fore. She barely heard the crunching sound, didn't feel the pain as her closed fist came up under his jaw, hardly registered anything but the fact that Mike went sprawling on his back on the ground and that he wasn't bothering her friend anymore. The gasps from the other students went unnoticed, as did the glances her family shot one another..

"Bella?" Jess' soft voice, scared and tiny, cut into the rage in Bella's brain and she slowly focused on the present. And the present was painful.

"OUCH! Motherfu-what the HELL did you guys let me do that for? I think I broke my finger!" This time she caught the amusement in their gazes before it was quickly buried. Alice turned to enfold Jessica in her arms and help the terrified girl into the backseat of the car, and Jasper dropped to the ground beside Mike's motionless form. Edward, meanwhile, had stepped up and gently taken Bella's injured hand in his own.

"Two fingers, it looks like. We'll get Carlisle to set them for you back at the house. What were you thinking?" His voice was waryly amused and she blinked at him stupidly for a moment.

"Newton's fine, he'll be unconscious for a while. You dislocated his jaw, Bella." Jasper stood up and walked back over to them. "Good job," he whispered softly enough that only she and Edward heard it.

"I wasn't thinking, Edward," she murmured. "I just - exploded..." Bella trailed off while Jasper and Edward exchanged glances that were one step off of full laughter.

"Well, he got what was coming to him," smirked Jasper. "I just wish I'd have been the one to do it." Edward shook his head and walked with Bella around to open the passenger side door for her. Once she got in she turned around to see how her friend was doing.

"Jess," she began, "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"I'm not," replied the blonde firmly. "He deserved it. I just wish I had the guts to do it myself. Maybe then he wouldn't...I wouldn't..." Alice smoothed the girl's hair back with soothing motions.

"We'll take you home, Jessica," said the vampire, but the girl shook her head.

"No, I don't...I don't want to go home right now. I can't stand the thought of going back into my room and - can you drop me somewhere else?"

"Would you like to come to the Cullen's place for a while? I've got to have my fingers set anyway, and then you'll get a chance to talk to Carlisle outside of a doctor's office. Maybe it will put your mind at ease, just a little."

"That's a great idea, Jess! Esme loves to cook, so you can stay for dinner!" Alice's exuberance wasn't feigned, and the obvious acceptance made the blonde relax a bit more.

"If you're sure...I mean, I wouldn't want to be a bother..."

"Not at all," drawled Jasper softly from his seat on her other side. Bella could feel him deftly weaving calming influences towards the girl seated between him and Alice. In keeping with the charade of mortality, he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, speaking evenly.

"Esme? Yes, everything's fine. Would it be okay if we bring another friend over for dinner? She's had - well, a pretty bad day, and we thought we'd kidnap her for some time to relax and eat without having to deal with anything. Yes...yes...absolutely. We'll see you in a few minutes, then." He closed the phone and turned to face her more fully.

"Esme's delighted to have more company. She says she hopes you like stuffed salmon." Jess' eyes widened.

"I love stuffed salmon!" Edward caught Bella's eye and winked.

~So you're bringing Miss Stanley here? That's a wonderful idea.~ Carlisle's voice in her head made her smile even more as she settled into her seat.

~Yeah. Mike was an ass, and she's spooked, and - oh, would you mind setting my fingers?~ She felt him pause, then heard his laughter in her mind as she replayed the scene in the parking lot for him.

~We'll see you shortly, love.~ He paused and she knew he'd caught her worry, the worry she was trying to hide from everyone. ~It will all work out in the end.~

~Why is everyone trying to reassure me today?~ she asked with a laugh, turning her thoughts and attention back to her friend and resolving not to let her concerns make Jess any more uncomfortable. The poor girl had enough to worry about as it was without Bella letting her own concerns weigh her down as well.

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Author's Note: Life it entirely too hectic. I mean, seriously, if it weren't for working and family, I would have so much more time to write!!! *snarls at Real Life*

Anyway, I know it has been far far too long between updates. I hate it too. :( But I promise I haven't abandoned this story. I'm entirely too curious to find out what happens next.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Jesus in a hatbox, time gets away from you when you're busier than a one-legged man in an asskicking contest. Work, family, sick, then work and sick, then family was sick, then all sorts of shit...I've run out of apologies at this point, so instead of flowery 'I'm sorry' sentences, I decided to apologize in a better way and just post two chapters at once. I am sorry, though, and very, extremely grateful for all of you who have stuck by me and not forgotten this story through my silence. Thank you, thank you, and thank you! *hands out nummy cookies to everyone* So, two chapters, comin' at ya!

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The nymph curled up on the bed sound asleep was nothing short of amazingly beautiful, and he thought for a moment how lucky he was to have her. It was then that he recognized the shirt she was wearing - or, rather, realized that he didn't recognize it. At that moment her eyes fluttered open and her clear gaze rested on him.

"Luc!" she said with a smile, standing up and walking over to her mate. Instead of the hug she was expecting, however, he grasped her shoulders gently and held her at arms' length.

"If you wanted new clothing you could have gone shopping. You didn't have to steal them." His voice was full of amusement as well as curiosity, and he expected her to fire back some witty retort. Instead, he was shocked to the bone to see his mate blush deeply.

"I didn't... I mean, I did, but not...oh hell." He let out a startled laugh at her discomfort. Seeing Lili so flustered was a once-in-a-millennia occurrence, and it never ceased to entertain him.

"Want to try that again?" he chuckled. She huffed and walked back over to the bed, flouncing down on it petulantly.

"Fine. I went for a walk, ended up in Jake's garage, and accidentally stole his shirt. Then when I came back I wanted a nap and it smelled good so I put it on and went to sleep. Happy?" Luc was baffled by her behavior, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"How did you 'accidentally' steal his shirt?" She looked at him for a second before flopping backwards on the mattress and bringing both arms up to cover her face.

"I went to watch him today, see if there was some way to make the acquaintance of him or a member of his pack, but he wasn't there. So I...kind of went into his garage to look around."

"And you - what, put on his shirt and forgot you were wearing it?" Still puzzled, Luc was nonetheless enjoying seeing his usually composed mate so off-balance.

"No, I didn't put it on until I got back here. I just picked it up, and then he came in and startled me, and I...bolted." He couldn't help it. Sitting down on the side of the bed he began to chuckle, then to laugh. She peeked out from under her arms to fix him with a glare that would have been decently threatening if she weren't still tomato-red.

"I'm so glad you're amused," she muttered before rolling over and burrowing her head into the pillows. He slowed his mirth and leaned down beside her, draping one arm over her and pulling her close.

"I'm sorry, baby, but well...it is kind of funny," he murmured, gently lifting the pillow off of her head and smoothing back her satin-soft hair. She glared at him for a few minutes before she lost her composure and giggled.

"It is, isn't it?" Her eyes crinkled at the corners and then she was laughing with him, both of them laying on the bed and giggling like children. After a while, Luc rolled onto his side to face her.

"I do have to say, though...it fits you well." His eyes slinked down over her flannel-clad form, taking in the way the well-worn material draped over her slender curves before raising back to her gaze. She blinked a few times, a sly smile creeping over her face.

"So...would it be considered kinky or just unusual if I wanted you to fuck me while I'm wearing this shirt?" He grinned predatorily at her.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On whether you want to fuck me, or pretend I'm your shifter." He smirked at the shiver that worked over her, gently tracing one taut nipple through the fabric and making her moan quietly. "Well?" With a smile she stood, walking to the end of the bed and draping herself over the footboard, the hem of the shirt rubbing delicately along the top of her thighs as she braced herself. Once positioned, she looked up at him.

"Surprise me."

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Bella covertly took in Jessica's expression whenever the blonde was ushered into the Cullen house. She'd long grown used to the subtle class herself, but the look on her friend's face was priceless.

"Bella, this is amazing!" the blonde girl hissed into her ear, unaware that her comment was heard by everyone in the house. Bella just smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, it's cool." Her reassurance was definitely timely, as Esme took that moment to walk into the room. Without hesitation she walked straight up to Jessica and enfolded her in a hug.

"Jessica! Bella has told us so much about you!" And just like that Esme took the frightened, shell-shocked girl into her own custody, ushering her to the living room with all the finesse of a long-time mother. Bella smiled at Edward as the rest of them followed.

"She's so happy to have someone to fuss over, isn't she?" He nodded, eyes dancing.

"Well, we're all rather self-sufficient, so yes, she enjoys the hell out of it when someone comes along she can do things for. But you should know that already," he teased, kissing her forehead lightly. They entered the living room a step ahead of Jasper and Alice and made their way to the couch, Bella plopping down beside her slightly stunned friend.

"No need to look so worried, Jess - Esme's amazing, one of the sweetest people I've ever met." The woman in question had disappeared into the kitchen but was just returning with a plate of mini sandwiches in one hand and a stack of small china saucers in the other..

"Jazz, could I get you to grab the lemonade and some glasses?" The tousle-haired vampire nodded and stood gracefully, walking with ease out to the kitchen, and Bella watched in secret amusement as Jess watched him go before turning her attention to the plate sitting on the coffee table. Esme noticed the girl's hungry gaze.

"Go on, eat up! I made plenty for everyone!" She handed Jessica a plate with four of the palm-sized appetizers on it and then turned to take the glasses and pitcher from Jasper as he reentered the room. With practiced movements she set out the drinkware and poured the girl a drink.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," Jessica said in a small voice, seeming on the verge of tears. Bella put her hand on her friend's knee and squeezed supportively. Esme took a seat on the other side of the blonde girl.

"No need to be so formal, Jessica, Esme will do just fine." She smiled warmly, and Bella could feel the tension begin to ease. "We don't usually get a lot of company, so when we do we'd prefer it be relaxed. There are already enough stuck up prissy people in the world - it doesn't need any more." Jessica laughed, then seemed surprised that she did so.

"I hate to be a party pooper, but is Carlisle home yet? I kind of broke two of my fingers and I was hoping he'd be able to set them for me." Bella kept her voice light though the fingers in question were aching like hell, and Esme gasped with appropriately feigned shock.

"Bella! Why didn't you say something to begin with! Honestly," the motherly vampire said in a confidential tone to the other human, "as often as this girl hurts herself I'm beginning to think Carlisle should give up his position at the hospital and just follow her around all day." Jessica, having just taken a bite of sandwich, stifled a laugh so as not to choke. "Carlisle!" Esme called out loudly, "could you come down here?" A few moments later the man in question entered the room and Bella suppressed a smirk at the way Jessica's gaze gravitated to him.

"Hello, Jessica," he greeted her warmly, smiling easily at the girl who was trying desperately to swallow her food without looking like an idiot. "You called, honey?" he addressed Esme, who nodded towards Bella. He raised an eyebrow at her and she chuckled to herself, but kept her face sheepish.

"I...kind of...broke my fingers."

"Holy - Bella, what this time?" he said, dropping to one knee in front of her and examining her outstretched hand, keeping his motions gentle enough to not cause her any more pain.

"She punched Newton in the parking lot at school," Edward said, his voice proud.

"You did what?" said the golden-haired one in stern surprise, though he already knew the situation.

"Yup! Laid him out flat, too!" piped up Alice from her perch on Jasper's lap. "I was so proud of her!" For a moment Carlisle turned to Alice, the 'fatherly' charade firmly in place.

"You know I don't approve of fighting," he said evenly. Jessica watched the by-play avidly, not seeming to notice that she'd finished her sandwiches and lemonade or that Esme had discreetly refilled both plate and glass for her.

"It wasn't much of a fight, truth be told," Jasper said softly. "He pushed her, she decked him, he went down. More entertaining than anything."

"Still," said Carlisle, turning his attention back to Bella's hand, "violence is never a good thing."

"He deserved it. He deserves more." Jessica's voice was quiet but clear, and her face was determined. "I'd have done it myself if I was braver." Esme stood quietly and motioned for Alice and Jasper.

"I've got to go check the salmon. Feel free to help yourself to more food and drink, Jessica," she said, placing her hand gently on the girl's head before walking into the kitchen.

"Alice," said Carlisle, "Rose wanted you to call her. Something about the dressmaker getting the wrong shade for the dress train."

"Oh! You've got to be kidding me. Forget it. I'm going to go deal with this myself. Jazz, would you mind heading out to the garage and telling Emmett that Rose and I will be late getting back?" The piie disappeared in a rushed whirlwind, phone open and dialing as she walked out of the room, and Jasper strode off after her. Edward also stood.

"I'm going to go help Esme with dinner," he said, dropping a kiss on Bella's uninjured hand and heading out the same direction his 'mother' had gone. Jessica blinked, then chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, I certainly can clear a room, can't I? she said, laughing uncomfortably. Carlisle turned his attention to her.

"Not at all, dear. But we are all aware of some of the circumstances right now, and they felt you'd be more comfortable talking without an audience. Shall we head to my office? I need to set Bella's fingers and that's where I keep my spare supplies." He stood, helping Bella to her feet before turning with a courtly gesture and offering his hand to Jessica. She took it, and Bella wanted to laugh at the slight pink tinge that swept across the girl's cheeks.

"Come on, Jessica. You'll love his study - there are so many books I could drown in them." With Carlisle leading, the trio walked to the room in question.


	5. Chapter 5

They entered in silence, and Bella chuckled at her friend's small gasp.

"You were right, Bella - there are so many!" She was looking around the room with nothing short of awe, and Bella felt like she was seeing a little glimpse of Jessica that she'd never noticed.

"Do you like to read much, Jessica?" came Carlisle's calm voice from where he stood by a large cabinet.

"Just Jess, please, Mr Cullen," she said softly.

"Well, then, you'll have to call me Carlisle. Even-stevens and all." Bella nearly rolled her eyes when her friend giggled.

"Okay, then. And yes, I love to read. I just...with so much going on, I don't get to do it much."

"Well, feel free to look around, pick out a book or two. I've got to take care of our precocious Bella here," he said with a grin, "again." Jessica laughed when Bella grumbled her response.

"Okay, I know I'm a klutz, but this time wasn't clumsiness, I swear! Just...thoughtlessness."

"Sit down, Bella, and hold out your hand. Honestly, I'm beginning to think I need to find a suit of bubble wrap for you." Carlisle and Bella kept up a lighthearted banter as he set her fingers, all the while surreptitiously watching the newcomer as she gravitated slowly, then with more confidence, to the book-lined shelves dominating the wall of the study. Occasionally she would pause, run her fingers lightly over the spine of one book or another, sometimes pulling it out to flip through the pages carefully as though she was handling the crown jewels. Bella couldn't take it any more and laughed out loud.

"Honestly, Jess, the books don't bite." Though she jumped, the blonde didn't so much as jostle the volume she was holding.

"I know that, but so many of these are first editions, so rare...this is an amazing collection, Doctor."

"Thank you. It's one of my passions. I love the written word, in any form. Well, except for chain romance novels. I really can't abide those." He finished with Bella and stood, crossing to the cabinet to put his supplies back. "Now, Bella, I forbid you to punch anyone else for at least a month, is that clear?"

"Jeez, you make it sound like I go around randomly decking people on a daily basis," she muttered, hearing Jessica chuckle from the corner. "Thank you, Carlisle." He turned to her, and they shared a smile as Jess carefully put the book back on the shelf and came over to sit beside Bella on the couch.

"Thank you, Bella," she said softly. "For being such a good friend. I haven't always been the best one to you, I know." Bella just shook her head and smiled.

"It's fine, Jess, you're a great friend. And I was the one who kind of abandoned everyone this summer. Maybe if I'd have been here too, Mike would have been less likely to...well..." Jessica was shaking her head even as Carlisle was pulling his overstuffed desk chair around to sit in front of the desk.

"I know it's a hard subject, Jess, but Bella and the kids have told me something of your circumstances. I'd like to hear from you, however, and I promise nothing will go father than this room." Bella reached her good hand out to squeeze one of her friend's hands in support as the blonde took a deep breath.

"Is it okay if Bella stays, Doctor?"

"Whatever makes you feel comfortable, Jess. We all want to help you out of this situation. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but the more information I have the easier it will be for us to give you a hand."

"You can trust him, Jess," Bella whispered. "I think I can honestly say you can trust Carlisle farther than just about anyone else on the planet." Meeting Bella's gaze with her own worried one, Jessica relaxed a little before fixing her eyes on the hem of her skirt. Her voice was soft when she began.

"I've known Mike since...forever, it seems like. First grade? Second? Years. We've been friends since we were kids - his mother and mine used to be PTA partners, and it seems we almost grew up at each others' houses. I knew I liked him in middle school, but he still saw me as Jess, his friend. The tomboy girl that could out-run him at the drop of a hat. I'd almost given up, but then I thought, high school would be a good place to reinvent myself, maybe be someone more like what he would be interested in. So I stopped goofing around as much, started acting more girly. His ideas of me had just begun to shift a little, to let me think I had a chance, when Bella showed up here." She snapped her gaze up to Bella's, mortified shock in her features.

"I don't blame you, Bella! Not at all! It was just...I was disappointed. You were new and beautiful and smart and I..." Her eyes dropped again. "I was just the same old Jessica. Then you hooked up with Edward, and Mike asked me to prom, and I thought, 'finally!' I was so happy!" Her voice grew quieter, and Bella knew if they hadn't been sitting side-by-side, she never would have heard what her friend was saying. She did know, however, that Carlisle was catching every word.

"The first week of summer, Mike went away on a backpacking trip. His folks said he'd asked if he could go to 'sort out his future'. They were so proud of him. I was just hurt that he hadn't told me. But I figured, everything would be just as great as it had been once he got back. We were finally together, right? But then he came to see me when he came back, and at first he was Mike, all joking and silly and I lvoed it. He began hinting that we should...you know..." She was bright red when she glanced first at Bella, then Carlisle, then back to her skirt. "Anyway, I said we should wait until it was special. I had already known I wanted him to be my first, but I didn't want it to be cheap. It shouldn't have to be just sex, right?" Mustering her courage she looked to Carlisle for confirmation.

"In my opinion, it should never have to be 'just sex' unless that's how both parties want it. And even then, I don't agree. But continue." His serene agreement seemed to give her a boost of confidence, and Bella was content to just stay silent. It was all the other girl's show now.

"He kept pestering, though, until one day he told me he'd planned something special for a night out. He took me to dinner in Port Angeles, then we went to see a movie, and then on our way back he suggested that we stop by the lake. He said he had something to show me. So I followed." Her voice got hard, cold. "Turns out he just wanted to show me how uncomfortable a girl's first time could be when it was done on a scrap of blanket in sixty-degree nighttime weather with no...well, nothing, really. I'd barely turned to ask him what it was I was supposed to be seeing when he was on me." Her voice lost its edge and with it, its life. She seemed to be speaking mechanically, and Bella reflexively put her arm around Jess' shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

"He said he was sorry afterward, but that he'd wanted me so long, and I'd been teasing him by wearing skirts and stuff. And I thought, well, it's never supposed to be nice the first time anyway, so I eventually just blew it off. But then he said that since I was his, that I didn't have any right to refuse him anymore. I argued, saying it was always a girl's right to refuse, and he...he slapped me. It really hurt. And it seemed to...well, excite him." There was a long pause. "I didn't get home until after dawn. I had to sneak back in. When my folks woke up, I told my mum I thought I was coming down with something, and said I was going to spend the day in bed. After they left for work, I dozed off and on and when I woke up a while later I stumbled in to take a shower." Bella felt tears on her shirt, and hugged her friend tighter. "I didn't know there would be so much blood. I scrubbed and scrubbed and I still felt dirty. I still feel dirty. I can't shake it. It's horrible." She was crying in earnest now, and Carlisle came over to the couch to sit on her other side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Jess, you don't have to talk anymore if you don't want to." The blonde shook her head against Bella's shoulder.

"I have to. I have to, because if I don't get it all out now it's just going to poison me." She took a deep breath and pushed herself gently away, sitting up straight and locking eyes with Carlisle. Bella watched as her friend gathered herself together, bolstered by the obvious strength in the doctor's countenance.

"After that day, he would catch me alone at random times and demand that I 'be a good girl'. After a few weeks I just gave up fighting and let him do what he wanted. He seemed to like that, a lot. I didn't think anything of the queasiness I was feeling until about a week before school started, and when I did I panicked. I told Mom I was going school shopping and bolted to the car. I just hit the highway and kept on driving. I ended up in Sequim. Purchased a pregnancy test, and sat in a restaurant bathroom staring at the package for long enough that one of the waiters came and asked me if everything was all right. And that's when it really came crashing down on me that no, everything wasn't all right. In fact, everything was all wrong. Not much else to say after that. It all ends up about the same, as far as I see it. I'm pregnant, my parents will be so ashamed, and Mike will probably be livid when he finds out."

"I think you might be overlooking the opinion of an important person," Carlisle said softly. Jess looked to him in confusion.

"Who?" she said, honestly puzzled.

"You. What you want, what you feel."

"But I...I don't know what to feel, what to want."

"Then that is where we should start. I'd like to bring you in for a physical exam, to make sure that both you and the baby are healthy. After that, it may be a bit easier to find out what direction you want to take."

"Yeah...I think that's a great idea, but I can't figure out how to tell my mum."

"Jess, I had an idea. I'll set up an appointment for myself, and you can come along. That way no one will suspect anything."

"But, Bella, wouldn't you rather have Edward with you? Wouldn't seem a bit weird to have me along instead?" Bella laughed and grinned, seeing a spark of matching amusement in Carlisle's eyes.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm so sure that Edward would be comfortable sitting in on a female exam on his girlfriend that his dad's performing." She laughed again, and after a moment Jess smiled.

"Yeah, I can see where that might be you sure it will work?"

"Yes, I can't see why it wouldn't," said Carlisle. "When would be good for you?" Jessica paused, thoughtful for a moment.

"As soon as possible, really. I mean, I may not want a baby right now, or ever, who knows? But it's there, and I'd rather make sure it's okay." He nodded in response.

"Then let's say next Wednesday after school, if that's fine? I've an opening in my schedule at about three o'clock."

"That's fine. Thank you, Doctor," she said, her eyes alight with what looked suspiciously like more tears and, possibly, a glimmer of hope. "Thank you so much."

"Please, Jessica, don't mention it. I hate seeing anyone hurt or in pain. And I do my best to make sure I can help as much as possible."

"I know. You're a wonderful doctor, everyone says so." Bella wanted to laugh at the look of near-adoration on Jessica's face. A soft knock at the door interrupted whatever Carlisle had been about to say.

"Come in," he said instead, and the door opened to admit Esme, smiling gently.

"Dinner's ready. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be just you and Bella, Jessica, as I have to go meet the girls at the tailor's to clear up a minor misunderstanding -"

"Minor meaning Rose is ready to start beating people, I assume?" said Bella dryly. Jess chuckled, then looked embarrassed.

" - and Edward, Jasper, and Emmett have taken the Wrangler on a test drive with the new parts. And Carlisle, the hospital called for you - Davis called in sick, and they wanted to know if you could cover for a few hours until Beverly can come in."

"Oh, I don't have to stay, I don't want to be a problem!" Jess hurried to say, but Bella interrupted her.

"So you're going to leave me to eat Esme's world-famous stuffed salmon by myself? I'm not passing up her cooking, and neither are you! Come on." And, reaching out, she grabbed her friend's hand and led her out of the study towards the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I'm so sorry. I hope you all don't hate me, though I wouldn't blame you if you did, LOL So much has happened these past three, four months: job position changed, hubby and I moved, enormous sewage leak at our old house, plus holidays and birthdays, trips to the ER and exhaustion...but I haven't forgotten my stories, or my readers. And to prove it, I've finally squeezed out time today to post the next chapter. *shakes head* I won't promise immediate updates, but as many as I can do, I will. Things are still chaotic. But the story lives on!

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"My god, this is delicious!" Jess mumbled around a mouthful of food. Bella, happily eating her own dinner, just nodded and took a drink of lemonade.

"Told you. Esme's a great cook, and she loves to do it. I think she can cook just about anything." Comfortable silence fell as the two girls continued munching, but after a few moments Jess chuckled a bit. Bella arched an eyebrow, and was amused to see the blonde blush.

"I just don't see how you do it, Bella," she said softly, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Do what?" asked Bella, who was confused even further when Jess' face went even redder than it had been.

"How you can be around so many absolutely gorgeous men and not be a drooling, gibbering mess." Bella laughed aloud, Jess joining in after a minute.

"What makes you think I'm not?" The other girl scoffed.

"Come on, Bella. The entire time Dr - I mean, Carlisle - was setting your fingers you were practically sitting in his lap, and it didn't phase you in the least. And you're completely at ease joking with Jasper, or Emmett...not to mention you landed Edward. I just can't see how you do it an keep your sanity. I can barely speak three words to any of them without my insides turning to jelly." Bella was still chuckling as she sipped some more lemonade.

"It's tough, believe me." Jess just looked at her skeptically, and Bella continued, speaking more openly to her friend than she ever had but knowing Jess needed some alternate conversation to keep her mind off of her troubles. "I mean, they're the most caring, considerate family I've ever met. It's so easy to be around them. But I totally understand what you're getting at." She grinned. "The first time I came here, I spent half my time stammering and the rest blushing, and..." she lowered her voice theatrically, knowing she had Jess' attention. "...the dreams I had when I got home that night had me shaking for two days." She giggled at the expression of vicarious delight on the other's face.

"Really? What kind? I mean, I know - I can guess - but I...how...was it..." By this point both girls were laughing, and Bella noticed her friend relaxing even more. Bella shot her a conspiratory grin.

"Absolutely amazing. And so vivid that the next night when Edward brought me over again, I promptly tripped over the doorjamb and fell on my face, only to realize the feet I saw in front of me when I landed belonged not to Edward but to Emmett. And I was so stunned I couldn't stop staring. I felt like my face was going to explode, I was so embarrassed."

"And then?" her friend asked eagerly.

"And then he held out his hand to help me up and told me that if I wasn't able to walk properly that I should just have Edward carry me everywhere." Bella shook her head. "It was only the first of many times I managed to make a right fool of myself here. I'm amazed they kept me around."

"It sounds so nice," Jess said, the laughter in her voice becoming touched by sadness. "That they've just accepted you, taken you in. And Edward - he's always such a gentleman with you. You're so lucky." Bella reached over and took her friend's hand.

"Don't worry, Jess. We'll get this all straightened out. Somehow or other, things will work." She let the other girl have her moment of thought, but what she asked next wasn't quite what Bella expected.

"Bella...are you a virgin?" The brunette was stunned into silence. ~Oh shit. This could get tricky.~ "I mean," Jess continued quickly, "you don't have to answer. I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

"No, no, that's fine," Bella reassured her quickly. "I just...wasn't expecting to be asked that." She paused, gauging the other girl's mood, before answering. "And no, I'm not."

"Was it...did it hurt for you, too?" Unbidden, memories of that first night with Jasper and Alice flooded back into her brain, so potent she could have gasped. She gathered her thoughts, and set about comforting her friend.

"Yeah, a little."

"And have you...you know, had sex...since then?" Once more, unbidden images flooded her mind, flashes of Emmett and Rose, Esme's birthday party, Greece...and the first time she and Edward had been together. Not trusting herself to speak as her mind whirled, she just nodded.

"Did it hurt then, too?" Deciding to be as honest as possible without telling everything, Bella shook her head.

"It was a bit uncomfortable the second time, but not so much pain as just...unusual."

"Does it ever get better?" Jess asked quietly, and Bella could see the tears in the blonde's eyes. She scooted her chair over closer and gave her friend a hug.

"When you're with someone who cares for you, it's the most wonderful thing in the world. Don't base your entire opinion on what one dumbass has done." Jess was crying quietly, not even sobbing but just letting the tears sneak from her eyes to race damp trails down her cheeks.

"Why would anyone ever care for me now, after what he's done? After what I've let him do? I don't deserve it." In a flash, Bella had Jess' chair spun around and facing her own. As she grasped the girl's chin in her hands, she felt a strong sense of deja vu - only the last time, it was Jasper holding her, making her look in his eyes. Once Jess met Bella's stern, caring gaze, Bella spoke.

"Don't ever say that. You are worth more than you know, deserve more than you allow yourself. Just because one asshole BOY wasn't enough of a MAN to treat you like the woman you deserve to be treated like is no reason to think bad things about yourself. And when you find a man who is willing to do that for you, to love you and to care about what you need and want, you'll see what I mean. Don't close yourself off, Jess. You're a wonderful woman, and you deserve good things." The room fell quiet as Jess looked at Bella, as if seeking the truth of her words in her eyes. Suddenly, the blonde lunged at the brunette, pressing her lips to Bella's as Bella just sat in shock. After a moment, Jess pulled away.

"I'm sorry - I...I mean, I don't...oh my god, I'm so sorry, Bella...I'll leave..." Bella shook her head and held onto Jess' hand, keeping her there when she would have fled.

"It's okay, Jess, I understand. You don't have to leave."

"But I'm not - I mean, I don't think I am - oh, hell, I don't know what to think anymore." She slumped back into her chair, looking humiliated and small.

"Jess, I promise, I'm not mad. It's okay." Bella's mind was still spinning. How hurt must her friend be to have done that? She felt like she should have at least responded or something, but it just was...not right. A second later, Jess echoed her thoughts.

"That was...weird." Bella nodded. Seeing the lack of censure in her eyes, Jess continued. "I mean, I don't know...I guess...god, I'm sorry." She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her heels on the edge of the chair.

"It's okay. That was a bit weird, though." Bella laughed a bit, and smiled to see Jess' tension start to fade.

"Let's...let's not do that again," the blonde said, finally looking up at Bella.

"No problems here," the brunette said, grinning. "I mean, I like you and all, but..."

"Yeah. It was kind of like...kissing my sister." Bella, taking a drink of lemonade, coughed at that but managed to hide it with a chuckle. ~That was NOTHING like kissing my sister...I should know,~ she thought to herself. A brief moment of quiet drifted, and then Jess began to laugh. Bella joined in, and the two sat at the table by their empty plates and half-full glasses, enjoying just being friends. After a moment, Jess wiped her eyes.

"You should have seen the look on your face, though! It was priceless! All stunned, you know?"

"Mine?" asked Bella. "What about yours? You looked so shocked I thought you were going to faint. Like I'd grown horns. Or you had."

"Bella's horny?" came Emmett's booming voice from the living room. With a mortified gasp, Jess jumped out of her chair, stammering nonsense in her embarrassment. Bella just rolled her eyes as the three Cullen boys came into the kitchen behind her.

"What, no one saved us any salmon?" drawled Jasper, causing Jess' verbal reaction to degenerate to simple sounds. Bella thought she'd better say something before her friend passed out. Turning around in her chair, she had to admit that Jess had reason to be stammering. Emmett had obviously not changed clothes since working on the car, and his snug sweatpants and oil-spotted sleeveless t-shirt hugged against him like a second skin. Edward and Jasper, on the other hand, had changed, and between Edward's black jeans and grey t-shirt and Jasper's ever-present Wranglers, cream-colored button up, and boots, Bella found herself wishing very much that her friend wasn't in the room. Jasper, being the first to catch the spike of lust in her emotions, just grinned and winked. Bella swallowed hard and tried to sound normal.

"Of course we didn't. You snooze, you lose. Although I think there's some Ramen in the kitchen if you boys are hungry." Jess had finally calmed down and sat back in her chair, though her breathing was still just short of hyperventilating and she was painfully quiet.

"Ramen, Bells? You tryin' to kill me?" whined Emmett convincingly. He turned his attention to the blonde girl, mischief dancing in his eyes. "Tell her, Jess! I'm a growing boy!"

"I wouldn't say boy, not with that build-" she started, choking on her embarrassment halfway through as she realized her mouth had run far, far ahead of her brain. Bella could sympathize, and decided to take pity on her friend as it was obvious Emmett wasn't about to.

"If you don't MIND," she started off firmly, "we were TRYING to have a conversation here." Jasper and Edward looked at each other and shook their heads as Emmett grabbed another chair and spun it around, straddling it and leaning his arms on the chair back.

"So converse! What are we talking about?" He ignored Bella's glare and focused on the girl opposite him. Jess, on the other hand, had never quite recovered from nearly blurting out that she thought he was hot, and stammered and stuttered.

"I - we were - that is, I'd just ki-" With a squeak, she looked at Bella in panic.

"Bathroom's the first door on the right down the hall," Bella said quickly, giving her friend the out she needed so desperately. With a quick nod the blonde fled the room, and all three of the vampires began to laugh. Bella turned on her most serious expression as she faced Emmett.

"That wasn't very nice, Emmett. She's not steady right now as it is."

"What wasn't nice?" he asked innocently.

"You know very well what," she said, trying to keep herself from falling into his golden gaze as his eyes raked slowly over her. She felt rather than saw Jasper and Edward walk over to either side of her.

"You know what, Bells? Me and the guys have been thinking..." Emmett growled in a low voice, trailing one finger over her wrist.

"We're going hunting all weekend," Edward whispered softly in her ear, making her shiver.

"And the girls will be gone for a while this evening," Jasper continued, his voice caressing her skin. She nearly moaned out loud.

"So we thought," Emmett rumbled, "that we'd get a taste of you tonight. You know, to tide us over until we get back." Suiting actions to words, he leaned forward and licked gently at her collarbone, wringing a quiet whimper from her. "So what do you say we take your friend home, and then come back here for a little...Bella-time?" All she could do was nod. On unsteady legs, she stood and walked down the hallway, feeling three sets of eyes caressing her as she left the kitchen.

"Just think about it, Lili. You have a perfect excuse to go back, and actually meet him."

"To return the shirt," she said dryly. Luc nodded from where he was lounging on the bed, watching her as she paced back and forth wearing only the shirt in question.

"And how would you presume I explain my reasons for having said shirt in the first place?" she asked archly.

"Kleptomania?" he said innocently, though the twinkle in his eyes was anything but. He didn't even dodge as she picked one of the pillows from the floor, where it had landed in their frantic desire, and flung it at him.

"I'm serious, Luc. I mean, I wanted to meet hi...I mean, them. But not like this. I feel like such an idiot."

"Well..." he began, laughing at her expression. Swallowing his mirth, he motioned her over to him. She went, sulking slightly, but allowed him to draw her against him. Tucking her head under his chin, he stroked her silvery hair gently.

"Then just wait. Once you start at the human school, I'm sure something will work out. You need to be patient." But Lili felt far from patient. She was glad that her partner could not read her every thought. She didn't know what to make of them herself - Luc would probably be hurt. All she could think about was Jake. Even while Luc was pleasuring her, she had to keep her eyes open because every time they drifted shut all she could see was caramel skin and dark, dark eyes. She sighed helplessly and cuddled closer to her mate.

"I hope so, Luc. I just...I want this to work out. So much. There's so much riding on this. And time is running out." Luc gathered her close, but she could feel that it was as much for his comfort as for her own. Still, she let herself be comforted, laying against his bare chest and daydreaming of a time when everything was finished, when she could run with her child in the forests and grasses, hear the chiming laughter of her son or daughter, and know that the world would be safe.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Holy shit, two chapters in two days! *sighs* It's good to have time to write.

By the time they drove Jess home, Bella was in a complete state of mental disarray. It had started when Emmett suggested all five of them pile in his Jeep to drive the blonde girl back to her house.

"Oh, no, you guys don't have to do that!" she protested. "I can just walk." Bella rolled her eyes.

"Walk. From here to your place. In freezing rain. Come on, let's get you home." So, overruled and outnumbered, Jess dutifully climbed into the backseat, where she ended up sitting in the center between Jasper and Bella. As the brunette was climbing in beside her friend, she caught Jasper's eye.

"No funny stuff," she whispered, though she knew he would hear her. He just grinned at her, that wicked curve of his lips that always made her crazy.

"No promises," he mouthed back before gracefully swinging into his seat. Steeling herself for his tormenting - and there was no one who could tease as well as a horny Jasper - she blew out a deep breath she hadn't known she was holding and slid into her own seat. A glance at her friend almost set her off into peals of laughter. The back seat wasn't small, by any means, but with three of them there it left little room, and Jess inched her way over to sit next to Bella - and coincidentally as far away from the sexy vampire as she could. Emmett peeled out of the driveway and turned on the stereo, music pouring into the confined space and drowning out the possibility of regular conversation. Jess leaned her head on Bella's shoulder.

"This ride is going to kill me, Bella," she growled in a low voice so that the others wouldn't hear. Bella had to stifle a laugh at the grin that passed between Emmett and Edward as they heard the frustration in Jess' voice.

"It'll be fine," she whispered back for her friend's benefit, though she knew very well that the three men could hear every word. "Just think of...baseball." Jess nodded, then gasped. Shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts physically, she slumped against Bella.

"That may not have been such a great idea...can you imagine how damned hot they would look in uniforms?"

"You want to see hot in a baseball uniform, you should see Carlisle," Bella whispered without thinking. Jess looked up at her, eyes wide, before slumping back into the seat with a groan.

"Bella - I officially hate you." There was a pause, then the girl giggled quietly.

"What?" asked Bella, trying hard to keep her voice level.

"Any chance you could get some pictures?" At that, Bella just chuckled.

"I'll do what I can," she whispered back. Not another word was spoken until they pulled up in Jess' driveway. Emmett turned off the music and twisted around to face Jess.

"Here you are, safe and sound. Hope I didn't scare you with my driving - I tend to like to go fast." He wiggled his eyebrows comically, and Jess laughed out loud even as she blushed. Bella began to see why her vampire family found her blushes so entertaining - even as she sympathized with her friend, she had to admit it was fun to tease her. But the guys were doing a good enough job of that just by existing, it seemed, so Bella opened her door and slid out. Jess lingered a moment.

"Thank you all," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I've never given you a chance before. I can't think of anyone else who would just accept someone in my situation, and you've all been wonderful. So...thanks." Jasper reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't mention it, darlin'," he replied. "None of us can stand to see a friend hurting and not try and help." Her eyes, wide with a swirling combination of emotions, began to glitter with unshed tears. She sniffled quietly.

"You're more than welcome to eat with us at lunch, if you'd like. Consider it an open invitation," Edward added from the front seat. Jess, not trusting her voice, just nodded.

"Okay, Jess, let's get you inside so you can warm up." Bella gently eased her friend away from the vehicle and up to her front door.

"Bella, I don't know how to thank you," Jess started, but Bella shook her head.

"You don't need to. We're all here for you, and things will work out somehow. Now, go get some rest. I'll see you at school tomorrow." She gave the girl a hug and a gentle push, and as Jess closed the front door behind her Bella walked back down to the Jeep. No one said anything as they pulled out, but as soon as they were around the first corner, Bella felt a tidal wave of lust wash over her. She turned to see Jasper staring at her, a hunger in his gaze that had nothing to do with her blood.

"See, Edward has this little idea," he began without preamble. "He thinks between the three of us we could wear you out in just a couple hours. So we've got a little bet going on, if you're game." Glancing up at the front seat, she saw her boyfriend turned around, watching them. The fire in his eyes said more than words ever could have, and she shivered with the reaction that raced through her.

"I'm listening." Jasper scooted closer to her on the seat, staying just outside of physical contact but close enough that she moaned in anticipation.

"Edward says three hours, tops. He thinks that's as long as you can hold out against all of us without blacking out. Emmett and I...well, we've got slightly higher estimates. Em thinks you'll cave in about four, and I...well, I think you can easily make it to five. Because you're stronger than you look. So, since we've set our terms, we thought this time we'd let YOU decide the prize." Just then they pulled up in the Cullen's driveway, Emmett having no qualms about speeding now that it was only their human in the Jeep. Bella, lost in Jasper's gleaming eyes and the simmering lust within, blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"You're mine." All three vampires stopped and looked at her in varied degrees of puzzlement.

"Care to elaborate, love?" asked Edward. Bella nodded, gathering her thoughts.

"Okay, so there can only be one winner, right?" At their unanimous agreement, she continued. "So whoever wins is off the hook. But the two that don't belong to me for a weekend. I figure, it's only fair considering how the bet against me and Carlisle turned out." The guys looked at each other, grinning.

"You're on, little girl," growled Emmett, scooping her up and all but racing in the house with her, his brothers right behind him. Once inside, though, he stopped and looked at Bella.

"Any preference to room, or just wherever?" Bella pretended to think, though she already knew the answer. The ideas swirling through her mind kicked her libido up another notch, and Jasper moaned aloud.

"Put me down," she said with a smirk. As her feet touched the floor, she turned to Edward.

"Before this goes any farther, I want to make sure you're okay with this. I mean -" he cut her off with a smile.

"I'd better be. I suggested it." Her eyes grew wide. ~I guess that night in the living room really woke something up, didn't it?~ she mused. Leaning up to give him a quick kiss, she turned and began walking towards the patio door.

"Coming?" she said, glancing back over her shoulder at the three gorgeous immortals who were standing watching her every move.

"Bella, love - it's not very warm out there..." Emmett began. Bella just blinked and drew her shirt over her head in one smooth motion. Half turning back to them, she let a sexy smile cross her lips.

"That's okay. I've found I rather like the cold." And opening the door, she stepped out onto the deck.

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Back in her bedroom, infinitely glad her folks were still working, Jessica changed into her soft pajama pants and a camisole top before flopping backwards onto her bed. Her mind was whirling between worry and no small amount of arousal. ~Jeez, I seriously don't see how Bella handles it. I was only in the car with them for fifteen minutes, and I'm so damned horny I could scream.~ Without deliberate thought, her fingers smoothed over the bare skin between the bottom of the cami and the waistband of the sleep pants. ~I wish there was some way...could I..?~ Even the thought made her blush, but she was by herself, in her room, and her parents wouldn't be home for hours yet...reaching a sudden decision, she turned off the bedside light and wriggled out of her pants, leaving the cami top on. The window was open a crack, bringing chilly breezes through across her bare skin, and she shivered in response. Deciding to try and not think about what she was doing, what she planned, she just closed her eyes and let her mind wander. The first image that popped into her mind was Emmett in his oil-splattered clothing, standing behind Bella in the kitchen. As her mind's eye traced over the sculpted muscles beneath that thin shirt, her hands began to wander over her own skin, rubbing gently. ~I can't believe that when I finally decide to try masturbating, it's to the thought of Bella's boyfriend's brothers...that's so wrong...~ She kicked her rational mind to the curb as soon as that thought came up, because she knew if she let herself think about WHAT she was doing, she'd never be able to relieve the tension that the houseful of gorgeous men had caused.

Letting her fairly inexperienced mind wander, she began to imagine it was Emmett's hands, not her own, softly caressing the smooth skin of her stomach, her legs. She could easily imagine those golden eyes filling with lust, and the thought made her whimper a bit. Somehow, though, she didn't think Emmett would be gentle. He had the look of a powerful creature, instinctive and demanding, and she wasn't sure she was ready for that kind of animalistic passion, even in her own imagination. With almost no effort whatsoever, she thought of Jasper, of how those damned jeans looked, and the way she wanted to tousle her fingers through his hair. It was his hands on her now, getting bolder with every touch. As she stroked her fingers over her skin, it wasn't her fingers she was feeling. Jasper's were the ones that were tracing circles around her breasts through the thin material of her top. It was his hands that were stroking her sensitive skin. And when her fingertips began to squeeze gently at her sensitive nipples, it was Jasper's name that was whispered to the air. She left one hand teasing her breasts while the other worked itself beneath her satin panties, exploring gently, tentatively. She didn't hear her own breathing, didn't register the small gasps that were escaping her lips. She began to trace her fingers around her core, some distant part of her mind shocked at how wet she was, but she closed that part off as well and just enjoyed the sensations as Fantasy Jasper slipped a slender finger between her folds. His ~her~ fingers squeezed her nipple a bit harder, and she moaned. A little harder still and the twinge of pain became a storm of pleasure as a second finger joined the first, working in and out of her hot slit. Jess' logical mind was completely disengaged by this point and she gave herself over to the sensations, spreading her legs further to grant her fantasy man better access. She could feel something just out of reach, a bundle of energy on her horizon, and she worked her hand faster, all the while seeing Jasper's bronze eyes and wicked grin. ~close...so close~ Just when she thought the experience was too much to handle, of its own accord her mind switched gears, the image of the tall stranger from the park so vivid in her thoughts that she could smell the cinnamon scent, feel his warmth. With a shuddering cry she came, shaking and whimpering with need as her orgasm took hold of her. Wave after wave of pleasure rocked the blonde, and every single aftershock belonged to the mystery man, the one who touched her hair so gently. By the time Jess recovered her ability for thought it was minutes later, and she was shaking from the intensity. Absently she crawled under her blankets, curling up on her side and hugging a pillow to her chest.

~That was...bizarre,~ she managed to think. After a little while, though, she felt herself smiling. ~Damn. If I'd known that's what it was like, I'd have been doing this more often.~ With a satiated grin on her soft lips, she slipped gently into slumber.


	8. Chapter 8

To her shock, after the initial rush out the door her lovers made no move to approach her. Instead they simply stood together, fixing her with stares that varied from Emmett's excited countenance to Jasper's desire-filled eyes. But it was the love, the lust and acceptance in Edward's eyes that sealed it for Bella. She regarded her men with a smirk.

"So what's on the schedule for this 'Bella-time' of yours?" No one said a word, each apparently waiting for the others to speak up. It took a moment for Bella to realize that they were actually conversing - thanks to, she'd bet, Edward's increasing telepathic abilities. She wondered if he'd even noticed, or if she was simply making a mountain out of a molehill. But as it seemed they were taking their sweet time, she knew one person she could ask. Casting her thoughts inward, she turned to the man in her head.

~Carlisle?~

~Yes, _cara mia_?~ came the warm, silky response.

~Have you noticed that Edward's gotten stronger? With his mind reading, I mean~

~I have, yes. I do not believe that he is aware of it yet, but it's been noticeable to the rest of us.~

~Yeah, I didn't think he realized it himself. I wonder what triggered it?~

~If I had to lay a guess, I'd say it wasn't just his desire for you trapped behind that solid wall of fear and willpower he had. Since he's relaxed his guard physically, it seems a lot of the mental blocks he'd imposed on himself have faded as well. I've noticed a huge surge in his abilities.~

~So I'm not imagining this. Cool.~

~Imagining what?~

~Well, it seems the boys are claiming some 'Bella-time'.~ Here she heard Carlisle's amusement, as well as a pulse of interest, and allowed herself a grin in response. ~And it seems the three of them are discussing the possibilities mentally. I didn't know if I was just imagining things.~

~'Bella-time', you say?~ came the smooth tone, so much like a caress that she shivered. ~Perhaps I should make my way home and...supervise. After all, you'll soon be under my tutelage. It would behoove me - as your teacher, of course...~

~Of course,~ she thought wryly.

~...to observe, so I can better judge where we will need to begin.~ Bella felt herself tremble at the idea of the golden-haired elder playing voyeur.

~Well, perhaps that would be a good idea, then. Purely for future knowledge.~ She heard him chuckle at her pomposity, knowing he knew the arousal it covered.

~Then it is acceptable to you,~ he said calmly, carrying the stuffy tone she'd jokingly used with such aplomb she wondered how he did it without sounding like an ass. About that time she noticed Edward, Emmett, and Jasper look up at her, their eyes glowing. As a group they began to approach.

~Well, it looks like they've decided on a course of action. I'm thinking this outfit isn't going to survive the next ten minutes.~ There was a pause, then Carlisle's mind caressed hers once more.

~I'll be there in five.~

He tightened the last bolt and slid out from under the car. Wiping his hands on his already grease-stained jeans, he reached in the driver's side window to turn the key and smiled in satisfaction as the engine purred to life. ~A few more tweaks and she'll be up and running perfectly,~ he thought with happiness. Hearing a slight stutter as the Volkswagen idled, he turned the motor off and headed over to one of his workbenches. Instead of reaching for any tools, however, he was stopped in his tracks by an odd scent, unfamiliar yet intriguing. It was like vanilla and flowers and spring rain washing over his senses, and he instinctively closed his eyes to breathe it in. It didn't belong to anything he had in his garage, he knew - most of those items smelled of metal and oil. With a flash of insight it dawned on him.

~It's her scent. The one who stole my shirt.~ He leaned against the counter, images of her startled crystalline eyes filling his mind. Not for the first time that day he pondered over her - who she was, why she was in his garage...why he felt so drawn to her. And why she'd absconded with his ratty old flannel. After several moments he shook himself and decided that he wasn't going to wonder anymore. Gathering a few more tools he walked around and ducked back under his car again, only to lay on his back unmoving while the platinum-haired mystery girl planted herself more firmly in his mind. No matter what he tried, he couldn't shake her off, couldn't concentrate. With a muttered curse he crawled to hs feet and flung his tools onto the workbench in frustration.

~Damn it. Who the hell is she? I can still smell her.~ With more grumbling he gave up on concentrating and headed back to the house. ~Maybe there will be something on tv, or I can read,~ Jake thought. He refused to admit even to himself that no matter what he tried to do, it would be drowned out by the thoughts of his sweet-smelling stranger girl.

It was a measure of his distraction that he never noticed when he began referring to her as 'his'.

As if everyone was relishing the anticipation, they closed the distance slowly. Painfully slowly, as far as Bella was concerned. Leaning back against the railing watching the three gorgeous vampires, she was struck once more by the strange - and enjoyable - path her life had taken. But then they were there in front of her and Jasper was washing her psyche in lust and she stopped thinking of anything but the feel of their hands on her, their lips on her skin, her hair.

Without speaking a word they surrounded her, Edward stepping behind her to pull her arms up and back, wordlessly urging her to loop them around his neck. The action drew her up on her toes and caused her jeans to slip slightly lower, and Emmett wasted no time in running his tongue from the band of her sheer grey bra to the waistband of her pants. He chuckled as Bella's initial squirming became writhing, her involuntary giggling at his tickling touch morphing to equally uncontrolled moaning. Between the two of them it wasn't long before the human was panting and moaning. Jasper had yet to lay a finger on her - apparently his part at the moment was to simply use his talent to drive her insane. And, she noted absently, he was doing an exceptionally good job at it.

"Have I told you lately how beautiful you are?" Edward whispered in her ear. "How very much I love you?" Ass though she didn't have enough to blow her mind already, his voice, his words sent her emotions skyrocketing. From her slightly dazed position she saw Jasper blink twice, then grin at her. But in the next instant she could only close her eyes and moan. Emmett had managed, in her distraction, to slide her jeans down over her hips and had taken that moment to nibble lightly on the soft skin of her upper thigh. Whenever she had the presence of mind to open her eyes again she saw Carlisle standing just outside the patio door, leaning backwards against it and regarding her with a mixture of lust and...evaluation?.. in his golden eyes.

~Are you sure you don't want to join us?~ she managed, but he only smiled patiently and shook his head.

~I am here as an observer only.~ The thought of him, simply watching as the other three had their fun, the silent observer, was purely erotic to her. Just then she remembered the terms of the recent bet. ~Five hours, huh? Well, if they want a challenge, they're on. And I'll give Carlisle a show he won't soon forget.~ Had she been in a normal frame of mind, she might possibly have wondered at her own confidence. As it was, she was far too busy enjoying herself. ~Still, if I have any chance at all I've got to slow things down or I'll be passed out before the first hour is up.~

It was with greatest reluctance that she pulled away, though the confusion on their faces was a bit of a consolation for the lack of tactile contact. In fact, the only one present that wasn't wearing a look of puzzlement was Carlisle. Instead, he had a stern smugness about him that was reflected in his mental tone.

~Restraint in the face of desire. Very good, Bella.~ She realized with a bit of shock that his praise had her wriggling like a happy puppy. Turning her attention back to Edward, she spoke.

"We can't have you winning the race before I'm even in the saddle now, can we?" Emmett and Jasper shared a snickering smile, but Edward never lifted his gaze from hers.

"What do you suggest, love?" he asked softly.

"Well, first and foremost, we need an impartial judge. Carlisle has graciously volunteered -" She held back a laugh at the way the vampire in question cocked an eyebrow at her in surprise. " - so he'll be timing this." She fixed Carlisle with a glare. "AND he has agreed to stay out of my mind for the duration. To do anything else would be cheating, wouldn't it, Carlisle?" Amusement written all over his aristocratic features, he simply nodded. Satisfied at his concession to her terms, she turned her full attention back to the others.

"Jasper. Darling." He looked pleased to be addressed, but when he saw the look in her eyes it made the smile on his face waver a bit. "You are a sneaky, underhanded immortal, love, with that power of yours. So my rule for you is that you are in no way allowed to swamp me with lust until I black out. That WOULD be cheating. Sometime when we're by ourselves, you can drench me in emotions until I forget my own name, and reap all the benefits, but for this 'contest', keep it within reason. You can use your talent as much as you want as long as it doesn't involve incapacitating me. Sound fair?" Smiling slightly, he bowed with a grace that took her breath away.

"I live to serve, Miss Bella," he drawled, bowing gracefully and grinning a bit when she flushed.

"Okay, now THAT I'll permit. Feel free to talk to me whenever you want, Jazz." She knew she was setting herself up for some massive difficulty because he made her light-headed just by talking, without really trying, but she figured it would be worth it to hear those honeyed tones in her ear as they fucked her senseless.

"Emmett. Try not to leave too many bruises," she grinned, laughing at the expression on his face. "I'm not saying you can't be a bit rough, but my hip is still a little bit tender -" Here she shot a glance to Carlisle, remembering the fire that blazed between them through the misconnected bond. He let her feel a bit of his regret at hurting her, but she stopped him with an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

~No, don't regret. We're just going to have to try that sometime now that the bond has been fixed.~ His grin was enough to bring a surge of moisture to her core, and she forced her attention back to Emmett.

"So I just want to avoid breaking bones and any enormous bruises. Other than that...no holds barred, Beast." He grinned in pleasure at this new nickname.

"Don't worry, Bells, I won't break you. I might want to have you again some other day," he winked. Finally she turned to Edward.

"This is about sex. Need. And I love you so much it hurts sometimes, but I want you to shut that off for these next few hours. Right here, right now - we have no claim on one another. You can do anything and everything you want to me as long as you don't try and gentle your impulses out of love. When we make love, it's just us. Right now, it's not." He nodded his understanding, and she watched with a little thrill as his expression shifted slowly from love to pure, undiluted lust.

~Very, very good, Pet,~ Carlisle crooned. ~Those rules of yours...you managed to hit every weakness they had. I'm quite impressed.~ She just smiled and stepped completely out of her jeans, tossing them aside to stand there in the gentle drizzle, letting it soak through her grey satin bra and panties.

"Okay, Carlisle. Start your timer whenever you want."

~Brace yourself, love,~ he murmured before speaking out loud.

"She's all yours, guys." With matching predatory grins, three vampires pounced on the defenseless human.

Author's note: Let the games begin.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: To all those I've been teasing with the promise of hot vampire smut, consider this chapter the beginnings of my apology. :-D

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She wasn't sure who it was that got the scarf, but she knew that - blindfolded and restrained - she would have to thank whoever it was later. Jasper began to whisper in her ear while hands she couldn't see made short work of her lingerie.

"We're going to have you, darlin'," he murmured softly. "Before we're done, you'll know who owns you. Who you belong to." The shivering that wracked her slender frame had nothing to do with the cool raindrops and everything to do with the intensity of his voice. It was his hands holding her arms down, but it was Emmett's lips that found their way to her now-bared breasts. Nibbling, sucking, tracing his tongue over the swells, he finally settled on drawing her left nipple into his mouth and sucking hard, making her whimper with pleasure/pain. Suddenly she felt Edward's mouth on her other breast, repeating the nipping and torment that Emmett was subjecting her to. As if that wasn't enough, his slender, strong fingers began to trace and stroke her soaked core, and he wasted no time in working one into her desperate depths. She cried out in pleasure, then again when Emmett's hand drifted down to pinch and rub her clit. Less than three minutes into their bet and she was so...damn...close...

"Oh no, Bella, not yet," Jasper whispered. "The first time you come for us it's gonna be on Edward's cock. So just behave." She moaned as Edward maneuvered another finger into her beside the first, and she disjointedly thanked the powers that be for pianos. She was still whimpering when Jasper continued, calm words betrayed by the husky desire in his tone.

"Now, we've decided that Edward gets to take you first. Partially because I got to break you in, and then Emmett sampled your charms before you and Edward ever got it together...and partially because the expression on his face right now is so demanding not even Emmett is willing to stand in his way." She felt Edward move, abandoning her breast and yanking his fingers from her, and the abrupt loss of contact had her nearly wanting to sob. "So we're gonna ride you one at a time, baby, before we go any further. I certainly hope you're up to it," he added cheekily, tying her wrists to the railing with something soft, and then all hands and lips were gone and she was laying on the damp deck by herself, the scarf blocking out even a hint of light. For what felt like hours she lay there, arms tied, legs open, and then he was on her. Never giving her a chance to gasp, he had her legs over his arms and was positioned at her entrance, pausing for a brief second.

"Mine," he growled, slamming forward. She did sob then, an unending moan of ecstasy as the forceful friction of his initial entry threw her careening over the edge of climax. Again and again he filled her, never waiting for her to come down, riding out the waves of her orgasm with every thrust. Bella had a brief thought ~what did I get myself into?!~ and then she was coming again, her muscles squeezing the welcome invading force of his cock. Shifting position slightly he tilted her hips up even further, driving into her, reaching forward to tweak her nipples in time with his movements. Through her haze of lust she was stunned at the determination she could feel, the drive to claim her. Giving herself over to the sensations she arched her back a little, meeting his downward thrusts with upward twitches.

"Give it to her, Edward," chanted Emmett from somewhere beside her. "Fuck her 'til she screams." The crudeness of the statement was welcome, thoroughly arousing, and she could tell Edward thought so as well when his hands left her breasts to clamp down on her hips.

"You want this, Bella?" he snarled. Held there, a willing receptacle for his passion, she could only nod. His unbreakable grip left her feeling helpless and protected, and she wondered if it would always be like that with him. And then she didn't wonder anymore. He ground his full length into her clasping pussy and leaned over her.

"Come on my cock, Bella. Come for me." One more thrust, and another, and she was coming apart, screaming his name. Before she was even done shaking he was gone, and she knew somehow that this was their plan, to break her and use her and never let her have any inkling of what was next. She lay there, panting and shivering, her lower extremities throbbing with need, and still nothing. As she slowly came down from her orgasmic high and the abrupt departure, she started to get her will back.

"Is that..." she panted, "...all you got?"

"Oh, no, Bells," came Emmett's voice from his place beside her. "Not even close. Show her, Jazz." She felt movement beside her head. "Open up, Bella. You can take care of me while Jazz makes use of you." Instinctively she opened her mouth, sliding her tongue along Emmett's considerable shaft as he pressed it between her lips. Just then Jasper's hands spread her thighs even further, one thumb staying to press on her clit as he guided himself into her with the other, letting his nimble fingers dance along her sensitive skin while he pushed into her with agonizing slowness. On the heels of Edward's hard, punishing fucking, Jasper's more gentle and thorough motions had her reeling. Acting on instinct the sucked Emmett's dick, slurping it even as she squeezed her inner muscles, coaxing Jasper's rod deeper into her.

"You're so fucking hot, Bella." It was Edward talking this time, and she was amazed how much it turned her on to hear her mate talk to her like a common whore. "I should video this and put it online. 'Sexy brunette slut takes on three brothers while their father watches.'" She moaned out loud at the crudeness, the social wrongness of the statement. "They were right, Bella. You are one kinky little bitch." She nodded as best she could, but then a gentle, yet firm slap on the cheek got her attention.

"Don't listen to him, Bella - you're supposed to be sucking me. And if you're good I might let you bounce your ass up and down on my thick cock later." Emmett's voice was husky, but it was Jasper's that got her going.

"Hell, darlin', if you behave yourself we might just double team you again. I know you liked it last time, moanin' and writhin' like a cat in heat. Hell, I think we could even make sure your pretty mouth was stuffed, too, since there are three of us to take care of now." She shuddered, coming with a groan. He pressed himself fully into her, holding still while she twitched and clenched around him. "That was so good, Bella darlin'. Help me get her up on her knees, Emmett. I want to mount her properly." In an amazingly short time she was kneeling, her arms still tied to the railing forcing her torso down farther than usual, causing her hips to raise.

"Look at that, guys," said Edward with grin. "She's so ready she's dripping. Fuck her, Jazz, she's dying for it." The Southern vampire never commented, choosing instead to lean over her and plunge back into her tight depths. One of his hands wound into her hair, pulling her head up slightly. The other reached down underneath her and tugged on her nipples, finally letting go of her hair to pull and tweak both, his thrusting getting harder and faster the more she wriggled against him. She was almost out of her mind, so close to the edge but without the push to get over it, and then he clamped his teeth on the back of her neck just gently enough to avoid breaking the skin and she wailed his name as she came.

"My turn," growled Emmett, and she braced herself for a ride of a lifetime, but instead he knelt behind her and licked her, one firm swipe of his tongue from her clit to her tailbone. A second lick, and a third, and then she felt a finger work its way slowly into her nether hole. It was still a bit of an odd sensation for her, but she was so desperate at this point to have him inside her however he wanted that she pushed back against his hand. He chuckled and slapped her ass.

"Patience. As much as I want to tear you apart, you said you won't want bruises, and I'm guessing you don't want to have to go to a hospital either." He stopped, taking his finger out of her ass and scooting behind her. "Still, you said I could be rough, so how's about opening up for your Beast?" He pressed steadily against her rosebud and she relaxed as much as she could, whimpering as his swift entry dragged hard against her delicate tissues. A small squeak came from her throat as he plunged into her, and then he set a rhythm just shy of painful, sawing in and out of her backdoor with increasing speed.

"You like having this fat rod up your ass, don't you, Bella?" She was steadily whimpering now, not caring about the sound but just enjoying the pounding she was getting. Emmett, however, had other ideas. "Shut her up, Edward. This caterwauling is distracting me." Without a word Edward came over and pressed the head of his prick against her lips. Greedily Bella sucked him in, timing her movements to Emmett's. The combination of his dick in her ass and Edward's in her mouth set her off again and she had to stop sucking for fear she'd bite down as she came.

"Fuck, Bella, it's amazing to feel you come for me." Emmett was almost growling now, and she arched back to take him deeper as she got the strength to continue slurping Edward's throbbing dick. For a while the only sounds were the rain hitting the deck and the frantic panting of the human girl as her vampire lovers worked her over. Finally, though, just as she was approaching what promised to be an explosive orgasm, Emmett broke the silence.

"Well, Bella...you've got to earn this one. If you can make Edward and Jasper come, then I'll let you have this." He punctuated his words with a swift pump of his hips that threatened to have her begging in need. Wordlessly she nodded, employing every ounce of her recently-acquired skill to her task. In about five minutes Edward was panting unnecessarily.

"Do it, Ed, flood her mouth. She's gonna swallow it like the good girl she is, won't you Bella?" Still sucking, she nodded, and the extra motion of her lips had Edward grabbing her face with both hands as he unloaded himself in her mouth, gasping as her swallowing drained him of every drop. He caressed her cheek gently before pulling away, and then Jasper was there.

"Do it, darlin'," he whispered. "Make me come for you." The gentleness in his tone took her by surprise, but not for long. A few moments later she had worked up a good rhythm, and felt the telltale shudder work its way through him.

"Finish him, Bells, and I'll give you what you need," cajoled Emmett, and with a few more long, slow tongue strokes she did just that, catching all of Jasper's cream in her mouth before swallowing it as well.

"Thank you, Bella," Jasper whispered, but then Emmett's voice rang out.

"I guess you want your reward now, huh?" he teased.

"Emmett..." His name was a drawn-out whisper on her lips, and he smiled though she couldn't see it.

"Bella..." he murmured, and with a quick shift and a few more thrusts, he sent her spinning over the edge of oblivion, driving himself deep as he followed her. She had no concept of time as he pulled himself free, as she felt the gentle roughness of a washcloth cleaning her off, the soft raindrops rinsing her. Blinking a few times, she looked up into the faces of four gorgeous immortals.

"So what's the time now," she managed to gasp out. Carlisle just smiled wickedly.

"An hour and ten minutes. Hope you're ready for round two, love." She could only groan in anticipation.


	10. Chapter 10

She sat upright in bed, a scream trapped behind her lips and her pulse scrambling like a caged animal. It took several long moments for her to realize she was awake, and even knowledge that it was just a nightmare didn't take away the gut-wrenching terror ricocheting off of every nerve. Neither did the fact that she couldn't remember a single detail besides the fear. Stumbling out the hall to the bathroom she ran cold water in the sink, splashing her face with it several times in the hopes that it would help her shake off the last vestiges of whatever horror gripped her. After a few moments Jess made her way back to her bedroom and flopped down on her stomach.

~I must've dozed after getting myself off,~ she thought, rolling over onto her side and watching her curtains flutter in the darkening evening breeze. From downstairs she could hear the television and knew that her folks were home. Suddenly seized with the need to not be alone, she pulled her robe on and wandered down the stairs. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table with her checkbook and a pile of papers, but she looked up and smiled when Jessica entered.

"Hi, baby. Rough day?" Jess, hit by the dark humor of that statement, smiled wryly and nodded before pouring herself a glass of apple juice and sitting down across from her mom. "Want to talk about it?" Taking a drink of her juice, she shook her head slightly before answering.

"Nah. It's just the same stuff. I think I might be coming down with a cold or something, though. I'm really tired." Inwardly Jess cringed at the lie, but her desire for company from the moment before had faded only to be replaced by a burning desire for solitude. "I just wanted a drink."

"Well, why don't you grab yourself some chicken rice soup - it's on the stove. And then you can head back to bed. If you're still feeling icky in the morning we'll take you in to see the doctor." Jessica nearly blanched at her mom's casual statement, hiding her reaction by grabbing a bowl from the cupboard and dipping some soup out. She tried to keep her voice nonchalant as she spoke, keeping her face turned from her mother as she dug out a spoon.

"I'm sure it's nothing. I'll be fine after I get some sleep."

"Well, make sure you do. Your father's already in bed - he's got a long day tomorrow. And I'm heading to go visit Gramma and Aunt Sandy after work tomorrow. So just rest up and go to school, and then come back and relax." There was a pause, silence broken only by shuffling papers, a scratching pen, and Jess' spoon occasionally clinking against the bowl. She had just about finished when her mother's voice came again, softly and almost carelessly.

"Did you and Mike have a falling-out?" Jessica stopped dead. Regardless of how casual the question was phrased, she knew her mother, and knew she hadn't fooled her. ~Please let me keep this from her for a little while longer,~ she pleaded with whatever forces were out there.

"Kind of, yeah," she said finally. She didn't volunteer any further information, knowing her mom would ask, and every spare moment gave her a chance to come up with a plausible, believable answer without actually telling her the truth. Sure enough, a few minutes later Mrs. Stanley spoke again.

"I heard about a bit of a scuffle at school today. Did you want to talk about it?" This time, phrased so differently from the first asking, Jess knew it wasn't an invitation but a command. Gathering her shreds of willpower, she made herself sound unconcerned.

"Well, he was being a bit of an arrogant moron, so I went and had dinner with Bella and Edward and his family." She was pleased with herself for not letting her nerves creep into her tone, but her satisfaction was shaken in the next moment.

"I'd heard that Bella and Mike got into a fight." Jess took a deep breath and set about weaving a story.

"Yeah. He was being...well, like I said, he was being a moron. And he was trying to pick a fight with Edward and Jasper. I guess when Bella came up behind him she startled him, 'cause he pushed her, and it looked like just reflex that she hit him." She made it a point not to hold her breath. If her mother believed her, then that was it, but if she didn't, phones all over Forks would be ringing in the next ten minutes as she called around to get the real story. Once more Jess cursed her luck at being born and raised in a town the size of a thimble. Finally, after regarding Jess with a steady stare, the older woman settled back in her chair.

"So, I notice you referring to the Cullens by their first names now. That's new." Jessica could have wept in relief. This was an easier statement to field.

"Yeah. Bella's finally convinced them to open up a little. They're really nice. I guess moving around so much made them kind of reclusive." She was filling things in with her own observations, but the more she spoke the more it made sense to her. She decided to tell her mother about dinner - well, a bit about it. "After I decided I didn't want to deal with Mike today, given his attitude, they invited me over to eat and hang out. Their house is so beautiful! And Dr and Mrs Cullen are such sweet people. It was great." After another moment, her mother smiled.

"I'm so glad. I've often wondered how hard it must be on all of the kids when Dr Cullen has to transfer as often as he does." Jess just nodded and scraped the last of the chicken rice out of the bottom of her bowl. Standing, she rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher, then walked back over to her mom.

"Well, I'm going to head back to bed and rest. I'll see you after you get back tomorrow evening. Tell Gramma and Aunt Sandy I love them." The two Stanley women shared a hug.

"I will. Night, baby. Sleep well." Jess turned and made her way back to her bedroom, waiting until after her door was closed to collapse on the bed in relief.

~That...was difficult,~ she thought wearily, curling onto her side and staring out the window at the shifting clouds, noticing the rain easing a bit. Still, as emotionally and physically drained as she was, she wasn't so eager to go back to sleep. She was afraid of what she might find behind her closed eyelids. Instead, she decided let her mind wander over more pleasant things.

~Like the man in the playground,~ she mused, then giggled. Rolling onto her back, she just sighed and stared at the ceiling, letting her mind ebb and flow as it would.

Bella knew if she'd been trying to hold herself in her current position she likely would have broken something. But as it was, being suspended four feet in the air in the arms of two insanely strong vampires while the third spread warm oil on her bare skin was very, very pleasant and comfortable. And arousing. Edward's arms supported her head and shoulders while Emmett effortlessly held her legs, keeping them spread just enough that the occasional icy raindrop would find its way along her swollen tissues, making her shiver. Jasper's fingers alternated between dripping the scented concoction onto her breasts and stomach and rubbing it in, taking time to squeeze and rub her nipples while he massaged the oil into her. Occasionally he'd reach an oil-slick hand between her legs and stroke her clit, teasing and tormenting while she begged for more, but mostly he kept his touches just firm enough to not tickle. He'd already worked her close to the edge of orgasm countless times, and she was going absolutely insane with need. She'd have been happy to beg for release were it not for the fact that her beloved Edward had gagged her with one of the scarves, instructing her to 'keep quiet and behave' - an admonition that drove her nuts in itself. As it was, she could only make muffled sounds, and those weren't very loud at all.

"Beautiful," Jasper whispered, pouring another dollop of oil from the thin glass bottle, rubbing it over her ribs and around her sides, working it down her skin slowly, slowly...there was that teasing touch again, slick fingers spreading her lower folds to rub against the pearl nestled there, making her writhe ineffectually in her captors' grips. They'd been tormenting her like this for what felt like years, priming her but never letting her have what she wanted. She arched upwards against Jasper's questing fingers, whimpering as he took pity on her and slipped one deep inside her. However, the pity was short lived as he took it out again quickly, returning to stroking her collarbone and neck.

"Aw, Jazz, I think she wants something," Emmett laughed. Bella just nodded frantically, but the three vampires ignored her.

"I'd say she does," chimed in Edward. "I think she might be ready." Jasper looked at his brothers, then turned his gaze on their captive.

"I don't know," he murmured, dark promises saturating his words. "Perhaps she is." Keeping his eyes on hers, he reached up and tugged her nipples once, twice, a third time, and she whimpered and moaned. Nodding as though coming to a decision, he abruptly turned and took a seat on the sturdy porch lounge. She watched as he leaned back slightly, wrapping one hand around his shaft and stroking slowly, base to tip and back again, the oil making his pole gleam in the yellow light from the torches Carlisle had unobtrusively lit.

"So, Edward, did you want to join in on this one? Or would you rather see it in person rather than just through Emmett's memories?" Bella, still mesmerized by the sight of a very naked Jasper pumping his hand over his prick, was amazed to feel her boyfriend's hands tremble a bit before his grip firmed. ~Wow,~ she thought in her haze, ~Edward wants to watch?~

"I think I'd like to see this one with my own eyes," he said hoarsely. Jasper, already having read the answer from Edward's emotions, simply nodded.

"Well, Emmett, looks like we're on. Give your girl to your brother, Edward, and take a seat." Without a word Emmett picked Bella up fully and carried her over, arranging her so that she was standing on her own shaky feet, straddling Jasper's ready cock. Looking into the Southern vampire's eyes she was treated to a very wicked grin.

"Your show now, kitten. The quicker you slide that hungry pussy down here, the quicker Emmett can mount your tight little ass and we can show your man how his girl likes to be taken." Her nerves were jam and her will was nonexistent as she dropped herself down onto his throbbing dick, the gag still in her mouth making it impossible for her to do more than moan. She leaned forward, trusting Jasper to support her as Emmett lined himself up behind her, and in less than ninety seconds she was stuffed full and helpless as they began to move. As though her own ready libido wasn't enough, Jasper let her feel a combination of his and Emmett's desire as he picked up the pace, and soon she was screaming behind the silk as they took their pleasure. There was no hesitation this time, not gentle queries as to her well being. No, they knew her limits and planned to take her to them. Emmett reached around and pulled her back against his chest, using his powerful legs to move them both, the action effectively forcing his cock balls-deep in her ass and working her up and down on Jasper's pulsing wood. From the corner of her eye she could see Edward leaning against the railing watching, a dark, desperate look in his eyes as he no doubt poured through every thought in the others' heads while they fucked her. And not far away she could also see Carlisle, golden eyes tracing every inch of her as she was pulled and tugged and stretched and filled. The combination of everything was almost too much but she fought to stay conscious, to keep her eyes open. Ages passed and she came again and again, the pleasure intensifying and waning as they alternately sped up or slowed down, and she'd completely given up on keeping track of time - of anything, really.

"I think she'd like to get something besides fabric between those pretty lips," Emmett muttered, motioning Edward over. She watched her man approach slowly, felt his strong fingers untie the soft silk, felt those same fingers slip into her hair as he kissed her passionately. The two vampires still embedded in her depths slowed, letting Edward have his moment of dominating her mouth, and then he pulled back.

"Suck me, Bella," he whispered, groaning as she eagerly took his length and began working her tongue and lips against his skin. She could taste the salty tang and knew he was close, knew as well that she wanted them all to finish together. She moved her mouth long enough to gasp, her words strained and raspy with lack of speech.

"Come with me, guys...fuck me harder..." Diving back down on Edward's dick she sucked hard, feeling his hips twitch as her lips pulled at his swollen knob, with Jasper and Emmett pounding harder and more erratically. Thrust...again...she was so close...with a shudder she came, clamping down on the massive cocks in her depths and slurping hard on the one in her mouth. As the waves crashed over her, she felt reality begin to spin away, crying out as first Edward, then Jasper and Emmett found their own completion. Swallowing frantically she gasped and felt her eyes flutter shut...she forced them open but it was too much, too...much...

The last thing she heard was Carlisle's honeyed voice first in her ears, then her mind.

"Five hours and seven minutes, boys. Bella wins."

~Congratulations, love, you were amazing - I can't wait to have you to myself this weekend.~

Author's note: Go Bella! So now she's got her own little Edward and Emmett to play with for a weekend. Just not this weekend. This weekend, she's going to have her...erm...hands full, so to speak. I wonder what exactly Carlisle's got on the agenda for her first days in training?

Thanks to everyone who has been so very patient in waiting for updates. Thus ends this particular Book. Expect to see _Ages of Conflict: Book 5 - Learning, chapter one_ coming to FF Net in the next day or so. :-D


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